Fox Renderfarm Blog

Clinton and PNY are teaming up again to push the 3D art community with a new community render challenge. The end result will be the culmination of everyone’s combined renders, forming the internet’s largest dynamic machine.About Clinton JonesClinton Jones is a director, 3D/VFX artist and photographer. Over the last three years he has been focusing on the creation of photoreal 3D renderings in order to expand his story-telling ability, and has recently dedicated his full efforts to growing his YouTube channel, and creating high quality art with his community of talented young artists. His 3D journey began with a simple thought: "If I can think it, I can create it.Returning after 2020’s Parallel Dimensions and Expanding Dimensions contests, Clint is beyond excited to throw another challenge your way.What is Dynamic Machines?Since Clinton was three, he felt the need to create. It started with drawing, and quickly led to building LEGO® sets with his dad. One thing led to another, and he found himself (as a grown adult) building a complicated series of tubes, tracks and toppling pillars just to turn off the lights. He later found out people dedicate their lives to building these contraptions called, Rube Goldberg Machines.…And so the idea behind Dynamic Machines was born.Dynamic Machines is a community-based 3D art contest where Clinton's challenging you to build a computer generated Rube Goldberg machine. The goal is to guide a chrome ball from the starting platform, all the way to the finish line, any way you can imagine, with any 3D program you want. In the end, everyone’s dynamic machine will be combined to form the internet’s largest 3D Rube Goldberg contraption.Three of you will be chosen to take home prizes that are guaranteed to push your creative ability even further.Deadline: August 1, 2021 11PM PSTSubmissions open July 24, 2021Grand Prize - NVIDIA Quadro RTX 50002nd Prize - CS3140 M.2 NVMe 1TB SSD Gen4 x4 SSD(M280CS3140-1TB-RB)3rd Prize - CS900 2.5'' SATA III 500GB SSD(SSD7CS900-500-RB)Rules & details for entry, click here for more information.

Another challenge has come to an end. This time, the 3D Challenge with the theme of Space organized by CGTrader ran from the 9th of October 2017 till the 10th of December 2017 and has attracted artists from all over the world to submit original space-themed designs in low (models up to 50,000 polygons) and high (models with more than 50,000 polygons) poly categories. The end of the challenge means the start of the extremely difficult models’ evaluation process due to huge participation from the artists. A total of 240 high-quality models were submitted ranging from planets, asteroids, aliens, rockets, and satellites to space stations that have been evaluated and dozens of discussions were made! Most models in this challenge are ready for Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), games and other real-time apps.Judging panels from Fox Renderfarm, CGTrader, 3D-Coat, Cebas Visual Technology, Quixel, and Exlevel worked together to decide the Challenge winners. The judging criteria for both categories were quality of the model (the most IMPORTANT criteria), as well as uniqueness, innovation, and general achievement in the design of the model. Well, there are only just six places for the winners. So, fasten your seatbelts and let’s look at the winner's list!Low Poly CategoryWinner: "4 Spaceship Set" by triplebrickDescription: A set of 4 highly detailed spaceships for the interstellar fleet with PBR metal/smoothness workflow, 4k textures, small ships have one material, large ships have two materials and details can be removed on the larger ships.Prize: $250 rendering credits by Fox Renderfarm1st Runner-Up: "Scout Space-ship RS-1" by Antonio112661Description: High-quality Scout space-ship RS-1 model which could be used in any game. This asset is optimized and hand-tweaked. The textures are tuned for Physically-Based Rendering. 16688 polygon count.Prize: $150 rendering credits by Fox Renderfarm2nd Runner-Up: "Lambro Robot" by furqaanDescription: The model is based on transformers look due to the robot is made of lamborghini parts and engine.Prize: $100 rendering credits by Fox RenderfarmHigh Poly CategoryWinner: "Space Pursuit MFP Disc Driver" 3D model by eccemaniaDescription: The artist’s own vision from a spaceship pursuit with one back tyre and hover engine. Works without a driver, the MFP Disc Driver has a programmable memory. Drive with rechargeable power cell and hover system, VROOOM!!!Prize: $250 rendering credits by Fox Renderfarm1st Runner-Up: "PBR Detailed Robot" by jackfurneri1984Description: The model has been created with Autodesk Maya (version 2016) - Textured and polypainted in Substance Painter 2 and rendered with different render engines (Arnold by Solid Angle and Marmoset Toolbag 3 package). There are 20557 faces, 21467 vertices, all pieces can be separated from each other (legs, gears, hands, etc..) with unwrapped UVs with no overlapping.Prize: $150 rendering credits by Fox Renderfarm2nd Runner-Up: "Icarus Orbital – Space Station" 3D model by shaunDescription: The Icarus space station model is a huge and detailed orbital station which is packed full of details and character. This space station is Intricately designed by Shaun T. Williams BA for practical usage and design within its role as an orbital space station for habitat and re-supply. The station boasts a variety of details such as antennas and radio equipment, docking bays, airlocks and many other features which make it perfect for detailed close-up shots with well-optimized model and is 2,255,400 Tris / 1,112,114 Polys.Prize: $100 rendering credits by Fox RenderfarmFox Renderfarm is proud to be the official render farm sponsor for this 3D Challenge: SPACE. The challenge is co-jointly sponsored by Fox Renderfarm, 3D-Coat, Quixel, Exlevel and Cebas Visual Technology.

전 세계 3D 아티스트를 위한 새로운 도전이 왔습니다! 인터넷에서 마지막으로 가장 큰 CG 챌린지가 끝난 지 6개월 후, Pwnisher는 새로운 3D 커뮤니티 챌린지인 Kinetic Rush 챌린지를 선보입니다! CG 산업의 선도적인 클라우드 렌더링 서비스 제공업체이자 렌더 팜인 Fox Renderfarm은 이 대회의 스폰서 중 하나가 되어 자랑스럽게 생각하며, 참가자의 작품에 대한 렌더링 지원을 제공하게 되어 기쁩니다.Kinetic Rush Challenge는 단순한 도전 이상입니다. 3D 파쿠르의 경계를 재정의하기 위한 아드레날린이 솟구치는 초대입니다. 이 고위험 경쟁은 창의성, 기술, 그리고 약간의 대담함을 요구합니다.놀라운 애니메이션을 만드는 영광 외에도 참가자들은 렌더링 속도를 향상시키는 데 도움이 되는 렌더 쿠폰을 포함한 놀라운 상품을 얻을 기회를 얻을 수 있습니다.Kinetic Rush Challenge 규칙공정성을 보장하고 창의성의 한계를 넓히기 위해 Kinetic Rush Challenge에는 일련의 가이드라인이 있습니다. 참가자는 제공된 템플릿을 따르고, 주어진 애니메이션을 사용하거나 실행 주기 내에서 직접 만들고, 특정 기술 요구 사항을 준수해야 합니다.아티스트당 1개 제출만 가능하고 , 제출당 아티스트 1명만 가능합니다.제공된 애니메이션 템플릿을 사용하거나 따라야 하며, 실행 주기 내에 직접 만들어야 합니다.기술 사양:프레임 속도: 24fps해상도: 1920 x 810px 또는 3840 x 1620px프레임 수: 총 126프레임파일 유형: MP4, MOV코덱: h.264, h.265파일 크기: 100MB 미만렌즈: 25mm 렌즈귀하의 제출물은 AI로 완전히 생성될 수 없습니다.Kinetic Rush 웹사이트에서 템플릿을 다운로드하세요데드라인 대시참가작을 제출할 수 있는 마지막 날은PDT 시간 2024년 9월 1일 오후 11시 59분입니다. 일정에 표시하고 애니메이션을 완벽하게 다듬을 수 있도록 충분한 시간을 할당하세요.자세한 내용은 Pwnisher의 비디오를 확인하세요.3D 애니메이션 세계에 자신의 흔적을 남길 준비가 되셨나요? Kinetic Rush Challenge에 참여하여 상상력을 마음껏 펼쳐보세요. 창작의 마지막 단계에서 자신의 컴퓨터로 렌더링하기에는 너무 서두르면 Fox Renderfarm과 같은 렌더 팜을 이용해 도움을 받을 수 있습니다. Fox Renderfarm은 수년간 3D 아티스트를 위한 빠르고 안전한 클라우드 렌더링 서비스를 제공합니다. Good luck!출처: Pwnisher

ようやく世界中の3Dアーティストに新しいチャレンジがやってきました！前回のインターネット最大のCGチャレンジから6ヶ月後、Pwnisherは新たな3Dコミュニティチャレンジ、Kinetic Rushチャレンジを開催します！CG業界をリードするクラウドレンダリングサービスプロバイダーであり、レンダーファームであるFox Renderfarmは、イベントのスポンサーの一つであり、参加者の作品にレンダリングサポートを提供することを誇りに思っています。Kinetic Rushは単なるチャレンジではなく、3Dパルクールの限界を再定義するアドレナリン炸裂の招待状です。この大勢力競技は、創造力、技術、そして大胆さが求められます。心躍るようなアニメーションを作成する楽しさだけでなく、弊社のレンダークーポンを含む素晴らしい賞品が待っています。クラウドレンダリングサービスを利用して、レンダリングのスピードを向上させます。Kinetic Rushチャレンジのルール公平性を確保し、創造性の限界を押し広げるため、Kinetic Rushチャレンジには一連のガイドラインがあります。参加者は提供されたテンプレートに従い、指定されたアニメーションを使用するか、ランサイクル内で自分のアニメーションを作成し、特定の技術要件に従う必要があります。一人のアーティストにつき一つの作品の応募とする。提供されたアニメーション・テンプレートを使用するか、またはランサイクル内で独自のアニメーションを作成すること。技術仕様フレームレート：24 fps解像度：1920 x 810 px ／ 3840 x 1620 pxフレーム数：合計126フレームファイルタイプ：MP4、MOVコーデック：h.264、h.265ファイルサイズ：100MB以下レンズ: 25mmレンズ応募作品はAIで完全に作成することはできません。Kinetic Rushのウェブサイトからテンプレートをダウンロード締め切応募締め切りは2024年9月1日午後11時59分（PDT）です。カレンダーに印をつけ、アニメーションを完璧に仕上げるために十分な時間を確保してください。詳細については、Pwnisher の動画をご覧ください：3Dアニメーションの世界に自分の足跡を残す準備はできていますか？Kinetic Rushチャレンジに参加して、想像力を大いに広げましょう。Fox Renderfarmは、長年にわたって3Dアーティストに高速で安全なクラウドレンダリングサービスを提供しています。制作の最終段階で自分のコンピューターでレンダリングするのが忙しすぎる場合は、Fox Renderfarmのようなレンダーファームを利用しよう！ソース：Pwnisher

So, you want to know how to crack the top 100 in Pwnisher's 'Endless Engines'? This isn't just any competition; it's the Super Bowl of 3D artistry. Every year, it pushes the limits of what's possible in CG. You could be a contender with the right tools, techniques, and of course, a little magic. The magic here is Fox Renderfarm, the leading render farm in the CG industry that provides cloud rendering services. Now, let's break down how to turn your 3D dreams into reality.Spearheaded by the industry legend Pwnisher (Clinton Jones), this prestigious annual competition has been setting the bar for 3D artists worldwide for six years running. Recognized as the pinnacle of creativity and technical prowess in the CG community, this challenge is a must-enter for any serious 3D artist.Having admired the creative brilliance showcased in previous years, our team at Rayfire Art Center was eager to join the competition. Among thousands of entries, our work managed to secure a spot in the top 100, a testament to our team's dedication and creativity. We are thrilled with this achievement.Final Result:Today, we're going to share the behind-the-scenes story of our competition entry, detailing our creative process and production methods. We hope our experiences can inspire you, and maybe you'll be the next name on the top 100 list.Preparation of the WorkThe rules for this 3D rendering challenge are actually quite simple. The official organizers will provide a scene with a camera already set up, and all participants need to do is replace the assets within the scene while keeping the camera and its lens settings unchanged. The real challenge lies in how to showcase your creativity and technical skills within just a few seconds of animation. It's worth thinking carefully about this before you start production. The theme for this year's 3D rendering challenge is 'vehicles,' and the official prototype animation is shown in the image below:Challenge Template © PwnisherBased on the theme and rules of this competition, we've outlined the following plan:Scene Models: We will search for available resources.Main Character and Vehicle Models: These will be created independently.Animation: We'll create the animation independently, render it frame by frame using Arnold, and then use After Effects for special effects and post-production.ThemeThe next step is to brainstorm and determine the theme of our animated short. We have a few creative concepts in mind,Given the recent surge in popularity of AI-generated art, we decided to conduct some preliminary experiments using AI to generate initial concepts.AI-Generated ImagesAI-Generated ImagesAnalyzing the winning submissions from past competitions, we've concluded that a compelling narrative and innovative ideas are key to success. Therefore, we'll focus on crafting a captivating story within 4 seconds. Our final storyline is as follows:A robber swerves into the scene on a motorcycle, sending bystanders into a frenzy.A police car pursues the robber, only to be met with gunfire.The robber disables the police car and makes a getaway.We've looked to similar films and TV shows for inspiration, hoping to capture the visual style that we want to achieve.Images sourced from GoogleImages sourced from GoogleImages sourced from GoogleNext, we will analyze the concept scenes.Reference:© Pi Xiu© Pi XiuWith the story finalized, we dived into creating our initial concept draft:© Pi XiuCharacterInitially, we conceived the characters as a pair of somewhat comical robbers with a touch of clumsiness. However, we later realized that such characters might be too monotonous, lacking in storytelling depth and interpretive potential. So, we continued brainstorming and decided to design the two characters as a fat man and a thin man, adding contrast and humor. Since we had a thin character and they were comical robbers, we immediately thought of the Joker (Heath Ledger) as a prototype. But later, we felt that a female Joker would better convey a sense of wit, acuity, and a touch of madness. Then we thought of Jinx and Harley Quinn. To further enhance the characters' appeal and because we personally liked the idea of ordinary people cosplaying as superheroes/villains from the movie 'Kick-Ass,' we decided to design the characters as ordinary robbers cosplaying as superheroes/villains. Ultimately, we designed the female robber to look like this. The makeup was inspired by the makeup in the movie 'Joker,' the hairstyle referenced a cosplay look similar to Harley Quinn, and the clothing color scheme followed the classic Harley Quinn palette.© Pi XiuMoreover, subsequent animation of the character revealed challenges in rigging the coat for realistic movement. To address this, cloth simulation was implemented in Marvelous Designer during post-production.© Pi XiuTo differentiate the heavier male character from the female robber, we designed him as a somewhat dim-witted, obese figure. Continuing with our previous concept, if he were to cosplay as a superhero or villain, it would naturally be Batman, the Joker's long-time nemesis. The added contrast of the small mask instantly created a comical effect.© Pi XiuVehicleAs vehicles are the central focus of this animation, we paid special attention to their design. To maintain a consistent visual style throughout the scenes, we designed the robbers' vehicle as a charming tricycle, which aligns with the female character's personality and interests. We also incorporated more rounded shapes into its design.© Pi XiuWe originally planned to customize the passenger seat with various anime and game logos, but IP concerns forced us to simplify the design. We kept only a large JINX logo, later modified to 'JINY'.© Pi XiuWe wanted the cop car to look cool but serious. Since you can't really see it up close and we were running out of time, we just did one quick design.© Pi XiuBackground ScenesWe determined the building silhouettes and adjusted their density to match the video's pace. To enhance the scene, we added foreground details, like overpasses and shopping malls, and varied the heights of the buildings. We also included a hidden logo. After experimenting with other elements, such as oncoming traffic, we decided to remove them to focus on the main theme.© Pi XiuAfter that, we started making the models look really good. Because we were short on time, we used these repeating textures and added lots of little details to the models. We made the buildings in pieces so we could put them together in different ways. To make the buildings look different, we used this cool software called Arnold to mix materials. It saved us a lot of time! And of course, we used a bunch of ready-made materials too.© Pi XiuWe made it night time, so we put up a bunch of those bright neon signs to make it feel cool. And we made the ground look more interesting by mixing different textures.© Pi XiuAnimationFirst, we checked to see if the animation on the model looked okay. To make sure that if we changed the size of the model later, the animation wouldn't get messed up, we put all the important animation stuff at the very top of the model's hierarchy. Then, we put the smaller parts of the animation lower down. This way, if we change the model, the animation stays the same.© Pi XiuWe quickly got the skin on the model using a plugin called BonePro and started animating right away. After we finished the animation, we went back and made the skin fit the animation better so we could change it easily. When we looked at the first version, it was too much stuff happening in just 4 seconds. So we focused on the gun shooting and the motorcycle moving around. We thought the ending with the police car in the middle was kinda boring, so we changed it.© Pi XiuWe changed the ending. The second police car crashes into a wall and goes off the screen just as the robber gets away. This leaves the screen empty, which makes the story feel more finished.© Pi XiuThe primary focus of the animation was placed on the female character, with key actions such as firing a weapon and head turns. The male character's animation was simplified to provide a contrast. A second review revealed a lack of dynamism in the motorcycle animation, which appeared rigid and block-like. To address this, additional animations were created for the fenders, body, and wheels, enhancing the overall visual appeal.RenderingArnold Maya was selected for its offline rendering capabilities, which aligned with our team's expertise. The renderer's flexibility allowed for seamless adjustments to material networks, lighting conditions, and post-render layer separation. A referencing workflow was implemented for efficient layer management. A nighttime atmosphere was established using a low-intensity, cold-warm contrast HDRI. To enhance the scene's depth and define light outlines, atmospheric volume fog was introduced. Neon signage was realized through a combination of self-illumination and MeshLights, while AreaLights were employed to accentuate building silhouettes.Following lighting environment optimization and the application of camera motion blur, keyframes were rendered for evaluation. Iterative refinements were made to the lighting until a satisfactory result was achieved. Layer-based rendering was employed to produce the final image sequence. Individual layers representing the street, ground, vehicles, lights, vehicle reflections, volume fog, and Z-depth were individually adjusted.© Pi XiuMy computer couldn't handle rendering this, so I tried using a bunch of computers at once, but it was still too slow. I ended up using a supercomputer farm to finish it. Next year, I'm going to try using Blender or Unreal Engine 5 instead.Visual EffectsBefore we started making the cool special effects, we drew some pictures to get a better idea of what we wanted. We drew the car exploding, the bad guy shooting, and how the cars would move around.© Pi XiuFor rapid iteration, a proof-of-concept was generated by combining the completed model and animation. Subsequent modifications were made based on this preview. Initially, Unity's Recorder plugin was employed to output an alpha channel, but due to the limitations of the URP, this was unsuccessful. A green screen workflow was adopted, enabling accurate extraction of the green channel in After Effects. However, the resulting composite exhibited aliasing artifacts in the special effects. To address this, a dual-layer compositing approach was implemented. The primary layer was generated by manually extracting an alpha channel using thresholding techniques to preserve the main subject, while a secondary layer was created by removing the black background and applying a screen blend mode to enhance the bloom effect.© Pi XiuWhile working on the explosion sequence, I considered how to create a memorable, high-energy impact. I drew inspiration from Yuji Nakamura, whose work on high-energy action sequences in anime like 'One Punch Man' features a signature "black and white flash" technique. This technique involves filtering out excess color information to create a striking visual contrast between black and white. This technique has become increasingly popular in recent game promotional videos. While there are various methods to achieve this effect, such as real-time screen color capture and conversion in Unity or hand-drawn animation, I opted for post-production in After Effects for greater flexibility and ease of adjustment. However, given sufficient time, a hand-drawn approach would have been ideal for expressing the desired visual style.© Pi XiuBy rendering individual layers with a Z-depth channel in EXR format, we facilitated a highly flexible post-production workflow. This enabled precise control over depth of field, motion blur, and lighting adjustments. The Magic Bullet Suite was instrumental in achieving the desired aesthetic, providing a comprehensive suite of tools for color grading, effects, and image restoration. The plugin's extensive library of pre-sets and customizable parameters significantly accelerated the post-production process.© Pi XiuIt took us two weeks to bring this project to life, and we're thrilled with the results! Seeing the amazing work of our fellow competitors inspired us to push our boundaries even further. We've identified areas where we can improve and have a clear plan for leveling up our skills. Next year, we're excited to dive into Blender or Unreal Engine 5 and create even more awesome stuff!New Pwnisher's CG Challenge: Kinetic Rush ChallengeThis project was a thrilling journey that pushed our creative and technical limits. Speaking of pushing boundaries, have you checked out Pwnisher's 'Kinetic Rush'? It's the internet's biggest and most exciting 3D challenge yet! As the leading render farm in the CG industry, Fox Renderfarm is proud to be a sponsor, offering creators fast and reliable cloud rendering support to bring their wildest imaginations to life. Don't miss your chance to shine!ConclusionMastering the art of 3D creation is a journey that demands dedication and innovation. By breaking down the process step-by-step and leveraging powerful tools like the render farm, you can elevate your projects to new heights. Remember, every masterpiece starts with a single frame. Fox Renderfarm is here to empower your creative vision and accelerate your workflow. So, are you ready to make your mark on the upcoming Pwnisher's 3D challenge, 'Kinetic Rush'?Source: Art Center of Thunder Fire